


The Disguise

by MintyGhoulette



Category: Ghost (Sweden Band)
Genre: Ficlet, Gen, Other, Short, Unbeta'd, gender neutral reader, might make this a series!, one short for something later, papa iii is pretending to be special, papa is special ghoul, reader is clueless
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-05
Updated: 2020-11-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:09:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27404065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MintyGhoulette/pseuds/MintyGhoulette
Summary: Papa III never intended to befriend you- especially not disguised as a ghoul! When you, completely unaware, start to recognize his voice he contemplates whether this has gone on too far...
Relationships: Papa Emeritus III/Reader, Special Ghoul/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21





	The Disguise

**Author's Note:**

> Small drabble idea I wrote for my blog Ask-The-Clergy-Bc on Tumblr!   
> This might be made into something longer later down the line!

Papa Emeritus the Third found himself donning his ghoul mask more and more since you two met. Originally, he only masqueraded as a Nameless Ghoul when he wanted a chance to breathe. No one bothered you when you were a mere ghoul supposedly doing ‘important work’ for a Papa. There was no paperwork, no harping Bishops, and no swarm of admires following him for hours… not that the attention wasn’t nice. Papa just had a need for alone time, too! 

Your friendship with him was utter happenstance. You were just another Sibling of Sin in the sea of worshippers. Not any less important, but none were ever as remarkable as one of the Emeritus line. He had run into you a few times during his pretend ‘duties’ and eventually you two talked enough to strike up a mutual admiration for one another.

For Papa it was nice to have casual, thoughtful conversation with someone who wasn’t tripping over themselves to agree with him without opinion. You yourself went from being a shy Sibling to thoughtful, open, and delightfully odd at times. The kind of person he would adore having in his actual closer circle. Alas, it would be detrimental in exposing himself as Papa and he wasn’t ready to spoil it.

Instead, he continued to masquerade as ‘Special Ghoul’. For all you knew, he was just another Nameless Ghoul that rarely showed his ‘face’ from important lap dog work for the Papacy. And, he found, you both were perfectly content in your own little world not questioning a thing. It was relaxing and he would milk every moment he could for this peace of mind. Papa always pushed the dread of you finding out from his mind and instead focused on the moment.

That reveal could wait. 

Today you were both laid out in the gardens. Laying in the lush grass after a particularly satisfying cat nap in the warm sunshine. Papa enjoyed the quiet conversation and cloud watching. The talk was light and nonsensical, nothing too heavy- just like the warm breeze. Eventually it trailed off into comfortable silence, and Papa closed his eyes. A perfect day with amazing company. What more could he ask for? 

Suddenly you bolted up from the soft grass like you’d been shot. You leaned over the disguised Papa with wide, almost horrified, eyes. You snapped your fingers and pointed accusingly at him. 

“I think I finally figured out where I’ve heard your voice before, Spesh!” 

His eyes flew open under the mask, trying to not seem too obvious at the impact your words had. Papa visibly remained nonchalant, only shifting his arms and stretching in his resting spot. Afterall, it was crucial not to give you any signs of panic. Despite the turmoil threatening to coil in his gut he merely turned his head to you. You saw his glamoured green eyes crinkle in mirth. 

“Oh?” 

He tried to keep his voice even and without falter. He thanked Lucifer when he managed. Papa supposed, in the back of his mind, years of acting of mischief helped when you wanted to lie. 

You smiled big, nodding eagerly and practically beaming at your seeming epiphany. Had Papa not been convinced you found him out he might have considered you utterly adorable. 

“Yeah! It’s been driving me nuts for weeks, but I finally figured out why you seem so familiar!”

It was true. You had been insisting for days that the two of you had met before. Even though ‘Special’ insisted that your first meeting was just that, you had been persistent. It was always at the tip of your tongue, you said. And for days Papa had considered dropping his ghoul act altogether to keep his secret. But the more days you spent together the more he couldn’t bring himself to break your heart like that…. Or give up his freedom.

Papa inhaled deep, ready for your gushing or your utter anguish at the situation. He knew you looked up to who he really was. Papa wasn’t ready to betray your trust. 

“And how do I seem so familiar?” he muttered, trying to seem blase about the whole situation before it turned to shit. He waited for the squeals or the tears of your realization.

“YOU’RE the ghoul that does all the interviews for the Ghost Project!” 

Relief felt like a pleasant punch to his chest. A few heartbeats passed before he let out his signature awkward laugh. 

“You’ve found me out!” 

Papa, his cover saved, watched you keen in delight with amusement tugging his covered lips. He watched as you balled your fists and shot them into the air in small victory. You shook your head after as your palms rested over your eyes. 

“I can’t believe I didn’t think of it earlier- I feel so stupid!” You exclaimed falling back onto the grass. 

He watched as you rolled onto your side, smiling sheepishly as you studied his masked face. 

“This whole time I’ve been hanging out with a practical CELEBRITY in the Clergy, and I didn’t even realize!” 

You never saw the grim smile under the ghoul mask as he turned to look at you.

“My dear, you have NO idea!”


End file.
